The story of Job is an intriguing one. It’s a story about a godly, kind man who encounters an immense amount of suffering. The evil inflicted upon Job takes him by surprise–a multi-layered blow to his soul. The pain that he experienced was, at the same time, physical, emotional, and spiritual. In this vein, Job’s story forces readers to reckon with the mystery of some of life’s deepest questions. Why do people suffer? Why do godly people suffer? What is God’s relationship to evil? These questions have roamed the halls of people’s thoughts for thousands of years. And for nearly the same amount of time, answers to the so-called problem of evil remain largely elusive.
While I believe the problem of evil will, on some level, always remain mysterious (at least on this side of the resurrection), I do think a good reading of Job goes a long way in helping us throw a flickering light on evil and human suffering–and God’s relationship to these things.
Through the years, I have read a lot on Job and the problem of evil. And while there are some great resources out there, it was Eleonore Stump’s book Wandering in the Darkness: Narrative and the Problem of Suffering that helped me the most. Her interpretive approach to the story of Job got me to thinking about the story in an entirely different light. I am certainly indebted to her insights, and I highly recommend her book to those who are interested in researching this subject at a more in-depth level.
A number of other scholars have influenced me as well: Robert S. Fyall, Greg Boyd, Richard Swinburne, and Alvin Plantinga, to name a few. While I certainly don’t agree with any of these scholars 100% of the time, I am thankful for their contributions. All of them have, in some way or another, helped me reflect carefully on the subject of God and his relationship to evil and suffering.
At any rate, my videos are listed below, and I pray they are a blessing and encouragement to you.
NB: In several videos, I mention various scholars/articles/books that have influenced my thinking on Job. I have listed links to these sources in the respective video descriptions so you can track them down easier.